Mutiny
by TheOccasionalOne
Summary: When the Guys in White attacked the Fentons' secret facility many years ago, they never expected the repercussions of their actions. Now the world is forever changed, and only a single boy with ectoplasm in his genes can keep the human race alive. AU.
1. Chapter 1

**About this AU: It is _very loosely_ based off of/inspired by the Generator Rex cartoon. You do not need to have watched the show to understand this story. For those who know it, I borrowed a few elements, mainly the EVOs concept (or, in this case, the "ghosts"). The "ghosts" involved in this story are slightly different than canon, but the differences will be shown/explained within the next few chapters.**

 _*I do not own Danny Phantom or (to be safe) Generator Rex._

* * *

 _ **Prologue: Before**_

* * *

Agent O had a particular distaste for nuisances.

Stains, bugs, people in general—mundane things like that easily irritated him. Rather than listening to his anger management coach and trying to tolerate these nuisances, he preferred "getting his way", so to speak. He disliked emotion. So he learned to wear to a mask. He disliked having to get his hands dirty. So he learned to manipulate others. He disliked those trying to interfere with his business.

So…he learned to kill.

It was like an equation: the same setup, the same conclusion.

From behind darkly-tinted sunglasses, Agent O stared intently at the massive, smoking research facility building before him. The Fentons had been a nuisance to him for some time now. Again and again: starting protests against the Guys in White, meddling with their plans, swaying the public to reject their ideas and proposals. As if the public didn't already have trust issues with an organization focused on the defense against _supernatural/paranormal beings,_ of all things.

It frustrated Agent O, knowing how _in the way_ they were and how _he couldn't do anything to stop them_.

Citizens of Amity Park knew very well of the tension between Jack and Madeline Fenton and the Guys in White. Any sort of "accident" or "spontaneous death" would immediately throw suspicion unto the organization, and that kind of risk wasn't something the Guys in White could afford. Sponsors were already difficult to retain; getting caught in a crime would cause benefactors to disaffiliate immediately, in turn causing the whole organization to collapse.

Only until very recently did an opportunity present itself, and the directors of the organization would not allow it to pass.

 _"Agent O, what is your status?"_

The question crackled from the small headphone clamped onto his ear. Agent O hesitated before speaking into the microphone hidden underneath his tuxedo's collar, "Currently inactive. No signs of the targets yet."

No response came his other operative, Agent K. No doubt his partner was cursing the Fentons out, trying to reign in some self-control before he broke protocol. Unlike O, K had little to no patience.

"Agent K, any signs?"

His partner didn't respond until a few minutes later.

" _No._ "

The Fentons had made it blatantly obvious of their participation in dangerous, abnormal activities. Self-proclaimed "professional" ghost hunters, they paraded around town in hazmat suits, spewing out nonsense about other dimensions and parallel universes. Normally, the Guys in White wouldn't bother associating with the eccentric couple. But when the husband and wife began hanging weapons and guns from their belts and bringing some very insane (and, admittedly, ingenious) research to the local science symposiums, there was reason to be suspect. With permission from the mayor, the Guys in White had warned the Fentons multiple times to either halt their research or surrender it. This had led to numerous warrants, arrests, and searches—with the Fentons barely avoiding a prison cell. The final order had been perfectly clear: they were to hand over all research, inventions, and data to the Guys in White. Failure to comply would result in termination of personal belongings.

To put it simply, whatever wasn't in the hands of the Guys in White, wasn't in the hands of _anyone_. By law, because the Fentons had a hidden research building they never spoke of, the Guys in White were to assume terrorist activity and to destroy it upon discovery.

If such destruction indirectly caused the scientists' death, however…well…that was just an unforeseeable outcome.

" _Should I launch another missile?_ "

Agent O hesitated before replying, "Protocol dictates we allow enough time to pass to provide an opportunity to surrender and go on trial. The first missile was the warning shot."

" _And if they don't show?_ "

"Launch the final missile."

After that night, the whole world would shift. Otherworldly portals would form in the atmosphere, bringing with them malicious creatures from another dimension. Society would have no choice but to blame the occurrence on the coincidental timing of the infamous Fenton Lab Explosion. People would tell stories of the seemingly kind Fenton family—and how they had been secretly harboring the apocalypse of the human race. The Guys in White would receive millions of dollars from the government, becoming the official protectors and military of Amity Park—and eventually, the entire globe.

Unbeknownst to them, they would also become the official guardians of one lone survivor.

* * *

" _Defenses under attack. Backup Power Level at 2%. Systems disengaging. Evacuate. Evacuate. Evacuate."_

"Jack!" Madeline Fenton bellowed over the alarms, running aimlessly down the hallways. " _Jack_! Can you hear me? _"_

Her lithe, flexible body maneuvered around multiple turns and dead ends. It became harder and harder to catch her breath. Despite knowing the layout of the entire building, every empty dead-end and hallway made her feel more and more lost.

 _He has to be here_ , she thought desperately, _there's nowhere else he could be._

" _Defenses under attack. Backup Power Level at 1.7%. Systems disengaging. Evacuate. Evacuate. Evacuate."_

Regardless of the rising heat, her aching muscles, and the building threatening to collapse—she wouldn't leave him. She would not— _could not_ —abandon Jack.

" _Defenses under attack. Backup Power Level at 1.5%. Systems disengaging. Evacuate. Evacuate. Evacuate."_

Maddie cursed under her breath, halting inside the weapons' chamber. A pit of heaviness and nausea built up in her stomach. Hands grasped the nearest metal table for support, as if it could hold her steady and keep her from falling apart. Granted they were in reckless, life-threatening situations all the time, the severity had never felt so _real_.

Jack had been acting strange for a while. Leaving their shared bed at night, conjuring up poorly concealed lies when Maddie questioned his whereabouts. Finally, she had decided to tail him and figure out what the _hell_ he was doing.

He led her to their underground research lab. Her small sedan had been too far behind to see if he had brought anything with him, but after waiting 15 minutes she had ventured inside, fury unraveling at the secrecy. They were partners, soul mates, spouses. They never lied to each other. They never went behind each other's backs.

Not even five minutes had passed since Maddie went after him that loud vibrations racked throughout the building. The security system had been activated immediately, alarms blaring and the backup generators providing just enough power to keep the building temporarily stable. Even without knowing for sure, Maddie had a strong guess about who was responsible.

The Guys in White.

She breathed in and out in an attempt to ground herself. Ran her hands through her sweaty ginger locks. Closed her eyes and blocked out the ringing in her ears.

After a moment of relaxing her body and mind, Maddie opened her violet eyes. Though the appearance of the Guys in White had shocked her, she couldn't afford to worry about it. She needed to concern herself with survival, with escaping unnoticed and booking the next flight out of America even if it meant leaving years of inventing and ground-breaking research behind. She would sacrifice everything if it meant avoiding governmental custody.

Many scientists studied basic, harmless specimens: yeast, molecules, insects, particular animals. Her and Jack strayed from those typical areas of interest, and found themselves interested in more… _otherworldy_ specimens. The kind that was hidden to most. Dangerous. Abominable. Could cause the mass destruction of an entire _planet_.

Compromising that information to pretentious, trigger-happy violent government officials would ensure the apocalypse.

"Damn it, Jack!" Maddie cried out exasperatedly, holding the ends of her hair in a tight grip. Was this how it was in real life—to lose a loved one? To just not _know_ , to just be standing there helpless until eventually you saw the carcass?

Not one room had been left unchecked, _not a single one_. She had scrutinized every inch and room and crevice of the compound, even the bathrooms (because she wouldn't put it past him) and _Jack was still missing and their work was about to be compromised and she didn't know what to do—_

A faint call echoed into the room from outside, " _Maddie!"_

Tears rushed to her eyes. _Dear God, he's alive._ "Jack! Jack, where are you, answer me, Jack!"

She continued screaming his name and ran out of the chambers, only to realize it wasn't Jack calling her name.

She prayed her mind was lying to her. Perhaps she was becoming delirious from all the chaos, from the possibility that everything—her family, her life's research, the future of the world—was in jeopardy. But the scrawny ten-year-old running down the hallway with gravity-defying raven locks and a NASA t-shirt calling " _Mommy"_ and not " _Maddie_ " couldn't have been anyone else.

Maddie stilled as her baby ran to her with cuts and scrapes and _why the hell is he_ _ **bleeding**_ _?_ He would have ran her into the ground if she hadn't worn off her shock and came to her senses in time to catch and crush him into a desperate hug.

Perhaps if the red alarms weren't casting a strange light into the room or perhaps if she had a stable sense of mind at that moment in time, she would have noticed the tiny, nearly-imperceptible swirls of green in her son's otherwise crimson blood.

"Danny," she whispered, with so much love and affection and (hopefully he didn't notice) fear in her tone.

Before she could pull back and fish for answers, Danny rambled hurriedly into her chest, "Daddy said to leave, we have to go—"

They separated instantly. The familial atmosphere dissipated into one serious and significant.

Staring into Danny's baby blue eyes, the ones that reminded her so much of Jack, Maddie questioned seriously, "Where's Daddy?"

Danny bit his lip, slowly shaking his head.

"Mommy, we need—"

"Daniel, where is your father?"

He averted her piercing eyes, looking down the hallway where a clear EXIT sign hung above a circular, DNA-scanning door. "He said it's really, really important that we—"

" _Daniel James Fenton_ , Daddy is going to _die_ if you don't tell me where he is right now."

His worried, horrified expression made her soften a little. Perhaps she was being harsh, but how else could she make him understand—this whole place was about to be demolished, and if Jack didn't escape with them, he'd be demolished too.

What in the name of God he was even _doing_ here? Her and Jack had sworn to never involve their children in their work. With the Guys in White constantly snooping around and interrogating them, they decided it would be easier if the kids didn't know. If any harm came to them, their children would at least be spared.

Ignoring her curiosity, Maddie gripped her son's shoulders tightly. She gazed evenly at him while she stated, "Danny, I don't know why you're here or what Daddy told you, but your father's in trouble right now and I need to save him."

Danny's eyes stared uncertainly at hers. He hesitated before saying, "…Daddy…he's stopping the explosion."

Her forehead scrunched up. "The explosion?"

"Yeah," Danny gulped, "Of the ghost portal."

Immediately, Maddie's stomach dropped. Her eyes widened and she backed away from Danny, staring down the direction she knew the portal was.

 _Oh God…_ it was a suicide mission. She hadn't even _considered_ him to be there.

Without looking at her son, Maddie ordered, "You're leaving. Now."

She began to hear him protest, so she swiveled quickly around and cupped her hand over his mouth. Looking deep into his eyes, she instructed, "Go out the exit. The handprint scanner will recognize your DNA. It leads to a tunnel. Take it all the way down until you reach the end that exits near the park. You know how to get home from there. Go straight to the house, quickly."

From under her hand, Maddie could feel her son biting his cheek as though he meant to say something. To protest.

"Daniel," she said softly, "I need you to do this. For me. For Daddy. For Jazz. Go home, don't come back, and don't tell _anyone_ about this place or about us."

Danny's reluctance came off in palpable waves; she stared at him hard and removed her hand, hoping he would realize, that he would understand…

"Will you come out too?" he whimpered.

She lied while grinning widely, "Of course. If I help Daddy, then we'll _both_ be able to come out."

When Danny didn't budge, she added, "If you don't go, Jazz will be all alone. Don't you want to protect her?"

This seemed to convince him as he nodded and took backward steps down the hall, his body still turned towards her. Right before he took off sprinting, he exclaimed, "I love you!"

Maddie could have sworn she heard sobs mixed in with his out-of-breath panting, but she didn't dwell on it as she steeled herself for the task at hand: she needed to retrieve Jack. Even if the Guys in White found the emergency secret route and encountered her son, Danny would be fine. As powerful and corrupt as they were, they could never shoot an innocent child and get away with it. The second they broke legal conduct, their funding and entire organization would be terminated. It was a risk they wouldn't take.

Plus, any chance out there would give Danny a higher survival rate than being near the portal.

"Okay," she said to herself, trying not to think about her baby on his own. "Ghost portal. He must be in the basement."

She darted for the nearest staircase and glided down the railing. The blaring and robotic voice became a dull murmur in comparison to her frantically beating heart. When she reached the bottom, she leapt gracefully onto the floor and jumped up into a quick-paced jog. The clanking of her boots against the tile reminded her of a clock ticking, counting down how little time remained.

Finally, Maddie reached a giant steel door that had a vault-like structural appearance. She punched in the security code, hastily shoving her hand against a handprint scanner afterwards. _Come on, come on…_ she urged the system.

The second she heard the click, she thrust the door open and threw herself inside. Tears burned at the edges of her eyes when she saw him—a large, burly man in an orange jumpsuit tampering with various chemicals inside containers. An uncontrolled whimper escaped her.

Jack froze, swirling around to face her and widening his eyes.

"…Mads?" he whispered, though whether in shock or horror she couldn't tell.

It took one shared glance for her to run to him and allow herself to be held in his arms. She listened to his hammering heartbeat through the spandex material, relieved at the familiar sound. Jack rubbed smooth circles in her back, his chin resting above her head and tucking her into him while she gripped tightly at his suit. They stood like that for a moment, encompassed by one another.

And then Jack pulled away, grumbling, "You shouldn't be here."

Maddie glared at him. "Neither should you.'

"Mads," he stated, staring defiantly into her gaze, "There's not enough time to explain. You need to go."

"I'm not going without you," she asserted.

He shook his head, lips pursed in a thin line. "I'm not sure how you found out I was here, but you need to trust me. The portal's going to explode."

And right now, she _needed_ him to live. He wouldn't persuade her otherwise. "Babe, leave it— _who cares_ —if we have to make a new one, we will!"

Jack took a deep breath, as if it pained him to say it, "It doesn't work that way. I have to stop it from happening and there's no point in both of us dying!"

She looked over to their creation: the giant, mysterious vortex that led to a foreign dimension. They had built it in a hexagonal shape, big enough so that a miniature hovercraft could fly through, but small enough that it could fit indoors. It was enrapturing to watch; bright green ectoplasm glowed ominously and moved in a constant swirling pattern. Electricity crackled along the edges, creating sparks and drifting in and out of the strange emerald mass.

She shook silently as the faint alarm kept screaming upstairs. " _Defenses under attack. Backup Power Level at 0.5%. Systems disengaging. Evacuate. Evacuate. Evacuate."_

"Jack," she growled, leveling his assertive gaze with her own, "We're going home. Now."

"No," he calmly stated. "This isn't about us, Maddie. It's so much bigger—so much more important. There's no time to explain but you need to _trust me_ and protect our _family_."

"Bigger? More important? And just what the hell is more important—"

"I'm sorry."

Maddie nearly slapped him. In fact, she probably would have, had her body not suddenly froze up in paralysis. She collapsed to the ground, a numb sensation taking over. She couldn't touch, couldn't move, couldn't _feel_. A heavy exhaustion overpowered her mind, making her feel strange and fuzzy. It was like pins and needles, but _everywhere_.

Ever so slowly, her eyes began to close. The last thing she witnessed was an apologetic expression in Jack's face.

* * *

 **I wrote this years ago. And edited and edited and edited and edited to the point where I just gave up. This is part of a writing experiment for me** — **I'm trying to get back into it and see if I can change my style.**

 **Updates will, naturally, be slow. Reviews and helpful criticism might motivate me to update quicker but at the moment I don't have a definite game plan, just random outbursts of writing that occur every couple of weeks. Granted, another pair of eyes to point out what I'm lacking or desperately could improve on would be _awesome_. Does this make sense? Do the sentences flow? Can you get a sense of who the characters are from reading in their perspective?**

 **SOME EXPLANATIONS:**

 **Maddie: I realize it's somewhat unrealistic that an overprotective mother would let her 10 year old son just up and leave, especially when there's a chance of the GiW intercepting him.**

 **Rewatching the show, Maddie puts her kids in danger many, many times, even if indirectly or unintentionally. During ghost attacks, she's usually urging her kids to run away, rather than personally escorting them to ensure they're safe back home. I think that, although Maddie loves Danny dearly, at this point with the building collapsing and everything going to shit, she has no choice** ** _but_** **to make him leave alone. She knows that there's a high probability of her and Jack not making it out alive. If Danny stays with her, he's a goner. At least if he leaves through the emergency route, he has a high chance of survival—the only risk being if the GiW somehow bumps into him, which is unlikely considering they haven't even entered the building yet (given their "shoot first, ask questions later" philosophy).**

 **And, granted the Guys in White are ass holes…there's a limit to how much of ass holes they can be (at this point in time anyway). By law, they're clear to immediately destroy the Fenton property if it's assumed that the Fentons are terrorists. But directly and intentionally killing a child they happen to stumble across? No. No amount of "good for the country" explanation will save their hides in that situation. They know this story is gonna explode. They can't risk something like that.**

 **Hence why, in the future, they have a ten-year-old in their custody now.**

 **Guys in White: After I wrote this, I thought of a question that might come up. Why didn't they just steal the Fenton tech instead of destroying it?**

 **Thinking it over, they can't steal it. For one, the Fentons are smart/quirky and the GiW probably wouldn't be able to make sense of their notes or understand how to work their inventions. Another thing: If they take the Fentons' belongings into custody, not bringing down the building, they wouldn't be able to** ** _directly_** **or** ** _intentionally_** **eliminate the Fentons. Fentons would be arrested, yes, but not killed, and there is a possibility of them hiring a good lawyer and getting out of their punishment.**

 **If the GiW blow up the lab instead, explaining to the public and other officials that they did it to protect the town and that they didn't know the Fentons were inside at the time/that the Fentons refused to surrender, then the Fentons' deaths are considered accidental, and the Guys in White are seen as taking a risk on criminals to prevent any threats towards Amity Park.**

 **I hope I covered any discrepancies.**


	2. Chapter 2

_**Chapter 1: After**_

 _ **(10 years later…)**_

* * *

"Your move, Masters."

Vlad stared at the chessboard while rubbing his chin pensively. The blank white walls of the metal room were a stark contrast to the old wooden game placed before him.

Perhaps it was the rarity of this occurrence that held him back from calling security. Not many people had the guts to intrude on his personal medical containment cell, much less the ability to pass all of his protective measures. A fearless, ambitious attitude like that stood out to him; he could use this person to his advantage, if manipulated properly.

"I must admit, I am mildly impressed." Vlad mused out loud, advancing his king across the board. To be frank, he hadn't expected the person in front of him to advance this far into the game. Given his 'Reigning National Chess Champion' status, finding a worthy opponent was few and far in-between in his life.

The person opposite him snorted in response and moved their pawn. "Only mildly?"

Vlad pursed his lips, unresponsive as he stared at the board. A minute went by until he decided on a strategy.

"Will you be sharing your grand master plan anytime soon?" Vlad asked sweetly, moving his pawn. "Surely someone such as yourself should have some sort of reason to sneak into a diseased man's private home and past all his security just to challenge him to a chess game."

Granted said diseased man happened to also be a powerful billionaire and CEO of the Guys in White, but Vlad had a feeling money wasn't the reason for the random visit. He recognized this person—they had plenty of money and power already on their own.

His opponent glared at the board.

"Oh!" Vlad exclaimed, as if forgetting something, "And, checkmate."

How he _loved_ uttering that one word.

He watched the other person clench their fist, shaking slightly. It made him giddy, knowing he caused it.

Ignoring the game, his little intruder stared into his eyes, a defiant fire burning beneath the surface. After some time had passed they quietly, but seriously, professed, "I want to work for the Guys in White."

Vlad's emotionless facial expression belied none of the shock he felt inwardly.

"We have both a paper application and an online—"

"You will hire me as a medical researcher."

Vlad blinked calmly and titled his head. "Will I?"

"I'm the top of my class. I graduated from college early. I have sufficient education and passion for ectoplasmic studies, as well as many resources and connections. It would be useful for you and beneficial for me."

Any other person would have laughed, perhaps felt indignant at these bold declarations. A position within Guys in White had many requirements— intelligence, strength, complete and total cooperation, confidentiality, background checks. It took most applicants _years_ to actually be accepted, and even those admitted into the program weren't officially _in_. They had to pass multiple tests—tests that were just short of being considered torture and slavery.

Vlad merely smirked and questioned, "Beneficial? In what way?"

The person paused for a brief moment, before answering coldly, "I want to stop the ghost hunting."

When Vlad didn't respond, they continued in soft tone, "I know a cure can be made to reverse the effects of ectoplasm in humans. There has to be a way. And if I have any hope of discovering it, I'll need to use your resources."

The billionaire's lips twitched into a crooked grin, his steel blue eyes never leaving the others'. "My, my. You are determined, I'll grant you that."

He picked up his nearly-forgotten teacup from the side table, blatantly ignoring the nasty look being sent his way. After a few sips, he let out a slow breath, lazily trailing his eyes back to the one across from him. A thick tension permeated the room, though Vlad didn't acknowledge it.

What felt like hours passed by until he began to slowly, and formally, clap his hands.

"Well, I suppose the Guys in White have a new addition."

The Guys in White's new medical researcher widened their eyes in shock as Vlad stated, "I look forward to working with you, Ms. Manson."

* * *

" _He hired you, just like that?"_

"Just like that," Samantha Manson confirmed as she watered the plants in her personal garden.

 _"No questions asked, no blackmail, nothin'?"_

"Would I be on the phone with you otherwise?"

 _"I don't know, Sam…sounds sketchy to me."_

"Everything Masters does is sketchy," she rebutted.

Over the line, Sam heard Tucker Foley, her long-time best friend, sigh dramatically. "Of all the people you choose to work for, you decide to work for the creepiest, shadiest dude in the entire _planet_."

"It's not like I have a choice!" she argued. "What else do you expect me to do? Knit some sweaters? Buy a cat? I can't sit around and watch my grandmother turn into…into…"

She couldn't finish the sentence, but Tucker didn't push her further.

"Did you get past the security all right?" he asked, changing the topic of conversation.

"Whatever you did to his tech, it worked. Aside from the guards, zero problems breaking in."

Tucker cackled. "Hah! Brownie points for the Nerd Herd!"

Sam rolled her eyes, but grinned despite herself. "I start next week. There's a shit ton of confidentiality contracts and stuff that I have to fill out before I can gain any access."

"Confidentiality? As in, _real_ confidentiality or just confidentiality from everybody but me?"

Sam gingerly pet her venus fly trap, smiling tenderly at its seemingly innocent appearance. "Like I can keep anything a secret from a geek who hacks into the government's server just to screw around with them."

"For the record, I'm doing it for the lack of spice in their life. They'd be terribly bored without me.

"I mean, really," he continued, "you can't tell me random pop-ups of baby kittens on their computer screens and Spice Girls music over the loudspeakers aren't beneficial towards their health."

"I think," Sam said, "That is my cue to leave this conversation."

"TMI?"

"TMI," she confirmed.

"Keep me updated on your new job."

"Will do."

She hung up, feeling lighter than she had in the past few days. Conversations with Tucker always grounded her. Of all the people in her life that actually mattered to her, Tucker was the only one who didn't come with baggage. In a dark, dreary world with emotionally damaged people, someone with his light-hearted humor and spunk was hard to come by—and Sam appreciated him more than she would ever let on.

Her hands smoothed along the edges of a plant's long leaf, sighing as she did so. Eyes travelling to the papers on the isolated glass table nearby, Sam reluctantly left her personal garden to sit down and start back on paperwork again. Only two days had passed since her meeting with Masters, and paperwork already piled up to the brim. Not that she expected the transition to be simple, but she thought there would be more time to adjust and prepare. Unfortunately, it seemed the Guys in White had little to no patience, leaving Sam to spend long hours packing her personal belongings while finishing applications and filling out forms.

Sam never thought she'd work for the Guys in White. In fact, she'd hated them for a while, watching the way they manipulated the public, observing how they treated those below them. Growing up in a rich lineage, Sam resented the pretentious and two-faced crowd she'd had to socialize with on a daily basis. The Guys in White were no different. They had pulled a lot of stunts to boost their power, and with the massive invasion of ghosts, Amity Park had no choice but to let them. They were the only candidates qualified to handle the ghosts.

She had to admit, though, they did a decent job keeping the city safe and relatively maintained. A decade ago, after the Fenton Lab Explosion, portals began opening up. Creatures wandered through these portals—"ghosts", the Guys in White had dubbed them—able to infect and possess human bodies, and morph them into sick, twisted ectoplasmic beings with no mental or emotional awareness.

Needless to say, the human race had faced a very real possibility of an apocalypse. Ghosts were infecting people with ectoplasm, taking control, invading countries all over the world. It had taken a few years for the government to finally invent technology and weapons that could be utilized against such creatures. Once they did, however, human numbers sprung again. Cities rebuilt themselves, in such a short period of time too. Defense mechanisms were set in place; an entire green dome shielded the city and prevented any ghosts from passing through.

In a perfect world, these defenses protected all Amity Park citizens from ghosts. As it was, portals randomly opened from _inside_ the shield. Not to mention those who dared venture across the border, desperate to travel and explore, and throwing themselves immediately in the line of fire.

The Guys in White tried their best, Sam would admit. But there were always unfortunate victims. Her grandmother was one such case. Had Sam's parents not have been a massive funder of the organization, Granny probably would have been killed on the spot the second ectoplasm entered her system.

Fists clenched, the pen Sam held nearly cracked in her grasp until she controlled herself. She would find a cure. She had to.

 _For Grandma._

The pen scribbled a little faster. Determination flared up within her. Even if she had stoop so low as to cooperate willingly with the Guys in White, Sam would save her grandmother's life one day. And, hopefully, the lives of others as well.

* * *

Agent K glared at the screen.

"He's out. Again."

Dr. Lancer sighed from behind him. "You realize the more controlling you are, the more resilient he will be."

Yes, Agent K knew that. He knew a lot of things about the simpleton _child_ he had been forced to babysit for the past ten years.

"Send Valerie to retrieve him."

Lancer frowned. "He won't be happy about that."

"Does it look like I _care_?" Agent K sneered, stalking out of the surveillance room. God, he hated when Lancer tried playing 'Daddy' for the dumb kid. The kid wasn't even a real kid—he was an imitation, a lookalike. Underneath the moody, annoying-as-hell teenager with an attitude thrived an inner _freak_ , a monster just waiting to be unleashed.

Agent K didn't even know how the kid had survived this long. The rebellious, arrogant prick should have had his ass handed to him _years_ ago. If Agent K had it his way, he would've shot him the second they found him, stumbling around one of the exits connected to the lab.

Masters wouldn't have it though. Masters practically _obsessed_ over the child, for reasons Agent K couldn't even begin to guess. The billionaire saw the abomination as an asset, and had strict protection policies set to ensure no harm would come to the kid. How the indirect murderer of the Fentons managed to snag their brat away from social workers and orphanages went beyond Agent K.

Not that it mattered. One day. One day the freak would be exposed as the threat he posed, and Agent K would hunt him down.

He continued shoving past other employees, ignoring the offended "Hey!"s and annoyed scoffs. His black boots stomped along the bright white tiles of the hallway, while his hands clenched and unclenched their grip on the ectoguns in his suit pocket. A mission would be perfect to blow off some steam right now.

His communicator beeped. " _Agent K,_ " his partner greeted, " _You're wanted in the debriefing room._ "

"Debriefing?" K beeped back, annoyance creeping into his tone. "The hell you mean, 'debriefing'? We don't have any new recruits!"

" _Masters just sent word of a newbie. Hired on the spot. Medical practitioner. She is to be disclosed the general policies and information about the organization and then handed to Dr. Lancer as a mentee._ "

Fan- _f***ing_ -tastic. Another doctor. And a _girl_ doctor, at that.

Agent K muttered darkly, "Let me guess. Another sympathizer."

" _Seems like it_. _Don't scare her too bad. Boss seems to like her._ "

He grumbled under his breath, but otherwise made no further comment to Agent O—who was by far the calmer of the duo. They had trained together decades ago; somehow always coincidentally assigned to each other during training missions and partnered tasks. After receiving the highest scores and rankings throughout their recruitment process, the department heads had allowed them to continue working together, so long as they remained successful in their assignments.

Though Agent K preferred working alone, he found Agent O's presence to be helpful. They were polar opposites, yin and yang: Agent O never lost his self-control and handled delicate issues calmly and only acted after serious thought. Agent K, to put it simply, _didn't give a shit_ and handled matters the way he felt like handling them, usually barging into situations without fully thinking it through. Their partnership shouldn't have functioned so well, but it did.

Honestly, Agent K probably would have shot his partner by now had he been anyone else.

He started towards the debriefing room, wondering about the new doctor. Rarely, if ever, were members hired on the spot. It had only occurred once so far since the Guys in White had been established, with Valerie Gray. But, given Valerie's… _special circumstance_ …her assigned position was rarely ever questioned.

Agent K may have respected Masters, but in no way did he understand him. The billionaire knew how to play the game of manipulation, and was not averse to using illegal and immoral means to get what he wanted. For someone who needed to stay confined in a cell for the rest of his life due to his medical condition, he contained enormous amounts of political, social, and financial power. His charm and intelligence only further served his purposes, leaving most people _wanting_ to give him what he desired.

But then, in sporadic situations such as these, he would randomly have an unexpected change in heart and do something _selfless_ for _some random-ass stranger_ he didn't even know.

That, more than anything else, was why Agent K occasionally had the urge to bust into Masters' cell personally and slam his head into a wall.

Upon reaching the double doors that led into the debriefing room, Agent K swiped his thumb over the electronic finger pad. All too used to the feeling, he allowed the scanners from both the finger pad and the hidden ones in the walls to roam over his body—from his head, to his eyes, even down to his feet. Given their advanced model, the scanners were capable of scanning through physical material like clothes, allowing for extra security measures and efficiency.

When the light above the doors changed from red to green, the doors parted, granting the agent access into a large, dome-shaped room. Like everywhere else in the facility, the ceiling and floors were a metallic white, completely glossed over and shining as if they had just been created and designed. Faint grey lines were ingrained in the surface, forming a grid-like pattern that had animated green pulses constantly moving through them. For newcomers, it looked gorgeous. For Agent K, he found it an unnecessary reminder about the freaks that had invaded their world.

One lone figure stood at the center of the room, marveling the ceiling, and the moment Agent K noticed her attire he nearly stomped right back out of the room. Black—everything was black. Black boots, black tights, black miniskirt, black crop top.

 _Masters really knows how to pick them, doesn't he?_

Her—again, _black_ —hair was cut in a pixie style, and if Agent K hadn't known better, he would have assumed her to be a male from a distance.

Miraculously, he kept his thoughts to himself, though he couldn't help the look of disgust after seeing the various piercings and partly-shown tattoos littering her body.

"I am Agent K," he gruffly introduced, "I am to inform you of our methods and rules, as well as show you the layout of the building. This information will only be presented to you once, so I suggest paying keen attention."

She narrowed her lilac eyes at him. He glared in return, turning around and taking off without bothering to check if she could follow. He set for main headquarters, deciding the explanations would be easiest in the room that held most of the operations. Judging by the clanking of belt chains and muffled steps of combat boots behind him, the girl trailed closely behind.

Neither one spoke once throughout the trip. Thank God, because Agent K's patience already ran extremely thin, and he really didn't want to have to put up with Masters' rage if he had any… _mishaps_ with the girl.

Only when they reached the main room did he start talking. "This is where most of the main operations occur. Each person has a specific reason to be in here; you are not to interfere with matters outside your business and others are not allowed to interfere with you."

Gesturing to the hundreds of various monitors placed throughout the multilevel room, he continued, "Each screen has a different purpose. Some monitor ectoplasmic levels in the city. Others keep track of the ghost shield's power level. A couple watch the areas outside the city so we can perceive threats in advance."

He explained the functions of everything, the policies, the rules, the regulations, what the technology could do and was responsible for. Agent K expected the newbie to yawn or doze off, as most of the new recruits happened to do, but she remained rapt at attention, eyes alert and aware as she took in her surroundings. Occasionally she would faintly nod at a piece of information he gave, as though she actually processed the words coming out of his mouth and hadn't just started daydreaming.

After he finished, he showed her the rest of the facility, taking her into the training room, weapons facility, records collection, and various other rooms. Most likely she wouldn't remember it all anyway, and would have to scramble after other employees until she familiarized herself with the layout. He only avoided one area of the building—one that held captive ghosts they had collected over the years to study and run experiments on. One had to be granted special permission to know of its existence, much less be allowed entrance.

At the conclusion of their tour, he finally turned around to face her directly, a stone hard expression on his face.

"Off-the-record, it takes a lot of balls to be in this place. It's not a job meant for little girls going through a rebellious streak. It's hard to get in, but extremely easy to get kicked out. Screw up, and I can promise you your life will be miserable as long as you live."

He left her then, walking away casually as though he had never uttered a word. He completed his job. More importantly, he gave her a very chilling, but accurate, warning. Not many agents ever disaffiliated or voluntarily left the Guys in White. And those that did…

Well…former workers couldn't be allowed roam around with top secret information. Meaning that, in the interest of Amity Park, they had to be eliminated and forgotten. Despite how difficult that task appeared, with the amount of resources and funding the Guys in White had, it was actually _quite_ simple.

Masters usually left Agent K in charge of those particular assignments.

A quick and light ringing sounded from his pocket. The agent nearly groaned, just barely saving his professional and intimidating face.

His pager beeped whenever someone had to relay a message to him. However, his pager _rang_ for only one subject in particular.

Putting it on an open stream chat, he coolly stated, "Nice of you to check in, Dan. Enjoy your road trip?"

" _Oh, it would've been_ so _much better if you were there, Romeo. I really missed your presence."_

Agent K's eye twitched.

"We've been over the name you address me as."

 _"We've also been over how I think Romeo brings out the romanticism in your personality."_

Subconsciously, his fingers trailed over to the gun in his pocket. Hm, would losing his job and his life be worth firing the little brat and killing him on the spot?

"Don't worry, I'll show you _plenty_ of _romanticism_ when I show you a _very_ personal and detailed tour of all the ecto-weapons in the weapons' vault. Would you like that, Juliet? I do believe we need a new test subject to check the functionality of the guns."

Silence.

"Good response, Dan-Dan. You're not _completely_ retarded. I expect to see you in G192's vault in 0300 hours. Don't be late. It wouldn't be… _romantic_."

He waited a moment until he smirked. Good. No snarky comebacks today.

Just as he went to turn off the stream chat, a voice sing-songed through the speaker, _"It's a date! Can't wait to see you, my darling sunshine!"_

The pager turned off, right before it crumbled within Agent K's palm.

He really f-ing hated that kid.

* * *

"Are you a coffee person?" Lancer asked Sam, turning away briefly to give his order to the barista. When he turned back around Sam nodded, the edginess from earlier beginning to dissipate.

Agent K's abrupt departure had left Sam lost and torn between feeling furious and feeling afraid. Even given her high level of patience and tolerance with people, Sam wasn't sure she could work alongside with people like that—people who were so cold, brutal, and distant. He clearly hadn't wanted her to be there, as he made evidently clear by his curt comments and hastiness in abandoning her. Luckily, Dr. Lancer had bumped (literally) into her shortly thereafter, introducing himself as her mentor and offering to discuss her new position over coffee.

"I like it black, no cream or sugar."

Lancer raised an eyebrow, but nonetheless relayed the order to the man behind the counter. They waited a few minutes until Lancer paid for their drinks and led her to a small table in the corner, away from the throngs of people scattered around the café. When they sat down, exhaustion from the day made itself apparent, weighing down Sam's limbs and making her eyes feel heavy. She gratefully sipped from the coffee cup, the hot liquid melting away some of her fatigue.

Lancer cleared his throat. "So, there has been quite a bit of rumors floating around about you. It's very rare for new members to be hired during a non-recruitment season."

Unable to help herself, Sam smirked. "I like to go against the flow, if you know what I mean."

"Hm. Good answer," her mentor nodded, then pinpointed her with a serious look. "It would be wise not to tell people details of how you ended up here or anything about your personal life. Unfortunately, there's a severe lack of hospitality between co-workers. They'll use any and every little fact against you if they can."

"Noted," Sam muttered, somewhat glad Lancer didn't sugarcoat facts. She preferred being direct and straightforward; her and Lancer would work well together, she could already tell.

As they both took sips from their drinks, Sam asked, "Are you included in this group of unhospitable coworkers?"

A small smile tugged at his lips. "I like to go against the flow, if you know what I mean."

Laughing, she said, "Please tell me you're the only person I need to work with."

"Unless you would like to personally file an apprenticeship request under Agent K's dictation…"

"That won't be necessary," she said immediately.

Comfortable silence fell between them. Sam downed a few more sips of her coffee. The bitterness soothed her, the aftertaste pleasant on her tongue.

"So…what exactly does our job entail?" Sam inquired, jumping straight to the purpose of their little get-together.

"Officially, to treat any agents who come back after battle and continuously conduct research on any medical or physiological information pertaining to ghosts and/or other ectoplasmic entities."

"Unofficially?"

Lancer smiled crookedly. "I believe you would best understand once I show you. It's a subject that shouldn't be mentioned in public. You never know who is eavesdropping."

"Fair enough."

They chatted idly about their backgrounds. Lancer had been born and raised in Amity Park. When his parents passed away at his ripe age of 17 (due to medical issues, Lancer claimed), he had emancipated himself and lived off of the leftover money in his parents' bank account. After high school he studied biochemistry in college, earning his Masters and afterwards going on to medical school. It was only later in his education that he became interested in ectoplasmic medicine. Back when there was little to no awareness of that area, he had been recruited rather quickly by the Guys in White, which had been a very low-key organization with barely any employees at the time. Given that he was one of the very few people knowledgeable in that field of study—his enrollment had been rather smooth and easy compared to the current process most newbies had to experience. Plus, he had connections with Vladimir Masters—they had been research partners in medical school, alongside the Fentons before the couple married.

That last piece of information caught Sam's interest. "You knew the Fentons? And Masters?" She paused. "Wait. Didn't Masters initiate the order to destroy the lab that killed them?"

In an instant, Lancer erected a barrier between him and her. His easy-going, friendly demeanor had evaporated, leaving behind a stoic mask. Eyes hardened and with a stern facial expression, Lancer replied, "Masters followed protocol. That is all you need to know about the subject."

 _There's definitely more to that story,_ Sam thought to herself, but decided not to push too hard. Though they were getting along pretty well, it was too soon to cross boundaries with her mentor. For now she would make a mental note of those little details, and perhaps revisit this topic with Lancer when he felt more comfortable with her.

Switching topics, Sam talked about herself. As the child of two billionaires, she too had many connections and resources. For personal and ethical reasons, she wanted to join the medical unit of the Guys in White to utilize her abilities and contribute to the local community. She always had been intelligent—she had graduated from public high school as the valedictorian of her class. Her parents had wished for her to attend a boarding school, but given her rebellious streak that most likely would've gotten her kicked out anyway, they had compromised on Amity High. Once arriving to college, she had enrolled in excelled classes and aced them easily, which allowed her to graduate early and with a Bachelor's in Biology and a minor in Applied Health. Originally she wanted to attend veterinary school after graduation, but due to personal issues (i.e. her grandmother) she had taken some time off.

And now, here she was. New employee of the Guys in White and under the jurisdiction of Dr. Lancer.

Lancer whistled impressively. "Only 21 and you're already working. That's quite impressive."

"I guess," Sam shrugged, trying to be modest, "I think it's more luck than anything. If other people grew up with what I was privileged with, they'd probably be in the same boat."

The man across from her gave a small smile. "While that's an endearing way to look at it, I wouldn't underestimate your accomplishments. There's nothing wrong with being prideful in your talents. Working with the Guys in White, you'll need to be able to boast and prove yourself to others who may not have faith in you."

His words made her think back to Agent K, and a sudden realization occurred to her.

"I—Dr. Lancer," she fumbled, "Does Agent K…I mean…Are there any rules implemented about sexism?"

The question seemed to throw Lancer off. "I beg your pardon?"

"There's rules about treating both men and women employees equally, right?"

Even before Lancer said anything, his troubled look had been answer enough.

"Rules don't necessarily apply to the Guys in White. As long as they perform their assigned duties to benefit the city and act politely towards sponsors, not much regarding civility and human rights concerns them."

It took Sam a few seconds to process that. "Wait…so…not even like freedom of speech or freedom of religion?"

No response.

A bit of anger in her voice, Sam asked, "So, what, they could kill an innocent stranger just because they felt like it and there would be no punishment?"

The question had meant to be a rhetorical exaggeration, but when Sam glanced at Lancer's face, she realized that was precisely the case.

* * *

 **I ended up feeling really satisfied with this chapter. I know there's a lot of background information; I apologize for this being more of a filler chapter than a plot-based one. I hope you found it interesting, nonetheless. There's still so much background and setting to cover, which will come in due time. I'm trying to make it more natural than forced.**

 **Also, I had to blurp out or delete a lot of the curses originally present. If there's a part where it looks like a stronger curse word should have been there, it's probably an edit that I had to implement due to the T rating. I would bump this story up to M, but aside from the cursing there's not much explicit material, hence I decided to sugercoat vulgar language.**

 **Little (sort of) spoiler/hint about next chapter: Danny will be making his first official appearance (grown-up, anyway). I hope he didn't come across as OOC in this chapter. He really, really, _really_ does not like Agent K, and considering they've been forced to tolerate each other for years now, there's a lot of hatred and tension between the two. In the future, I plan on revisiting memories and having flashback scenes to bridge the past to the present; some of these flashbacks will show some moments between Danny and the agents.**

 *****Also, keep in mind this is Agent _K_ and NOT Agent _O.***_**

 **Let me know what you think! If you find any discrepancies or plot holes, please tell me so I may fix them.**

 **Thanks for the reviews/follows/faves!**


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